POLICE PRIORITIES

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A chief constable had to plead guilty to a speeding offence because an officer in his force would not own up. Magistrates imposed a £500 fine, but the taxpayer will have to foot the bill because no individual can be found responsible. The mystery cop was caught doing 47mph in a 40mph zone but senior officers have failed to track down the culprit. Meredydd Hughes, Chief Constable of South Yorks, had insisted strenuous efforts be made to find who was driving in Rotherham.

During the police probe computers were checked, shift patterns examined and officers spoken to but the cop responsible could not be found and never owned up. Mr Hughes was left with no choice but to order a prosecution. He then had to send a letter to court pleading guilty on behalf of his force. The chief constable is the Association of Chief Police Officers’ head of road policing advising forces around the country on how to trap speeding motorists. He has been caught twice by speed cameras. (Source: The Sun, Dec/06)

I was driving to town on Friday, February 28, at around 6pm when a police car pulled in behind me with lights flashing. I stopped at the side of the road, in Chester Green, and lowered my window when the police officer approached. I was advised that one of my headlights was out. I thanked the policeman and told him that I would be going directly home from town and I would then replace the bulb. The policeman told me that he would have to issue me with a ticket for this offence and he asked me to get out of my car and into the back seat of his car.

The policeman explained that he must issue me with two notices, one to be presented to a convenient police station together with my driving licence and certificate of insurance. The other, I was told, had to be taken to an MOT testing station, where I would have to arrange for them to inspect my vehicle to ensure that the bulb had been replaced. They would then have to sign and stamp the notice. I expressed my disbelief and suggested that there may have been far more important matters to be dealt with in a city the size of Derby.

About 15 minutes later, I was given the two notices. My car is owned by the company that employs me and I therefore collected the necessary documentation from the transport manager on the following Monday, obtained the approval of the MOT testing station and then presented myself at Derby police station - during my lunch hour on the same day - where I handed over my driving licence and certificate of insurance.

I was informed that the certificate of insurance was not acceptable as it was effective from March 1, 2003, whereas the offence I had committed took place on February 28, 2003. It would be necessary to produce the old certificate of insurance and no, I could not post it, I would have to make yet another trip to the police station. To my mind, this was all just too ridiculous and I demanded to see a senior officer to make the strongest possible complaint.

Five minutes later, I was introduced to a duty sergeant, whereupon I expressed my disbelief that the police were prepared to spend so much time, and on such a trivial issue. I got no sympathy and all he could say was that there were 4,000 deaths on the roads every year and the police were determined to reduce that number. Excellent, and good for them, but what has that got to do with my one bulb that had gone out in a built-up, and well-lit, area?

I have the following comments to make:

* I asked the duty sergeant if the police officer in question was obliged to give me those notices. He confirmed that he was not. That made me even more angry. I am Mr Average, driving home from the office on a Friday evening in a Y-registered car in good order and, as such, I would not expect to attract the attention of the police.

* When I was in the police car and the officer was busy writing out the notices, I offered to show him my driving licence. He was not interested. If he had bothered to look, he would have seen that I have had no endorsements.

* I am particularly aggrieved that, at 63 years old, with a clean driving licence and the knowledge that I have probably driven in excess of 500,000 miles in the last 20 years, without incident, I was treated as a criminal because one of my bulbs failed.

* I pointed out to the duty sergeant that I regularly saw so-called boy racers around Derby and I have yet to see one of them being stopped by the police. I regularly see underage drivers, particularly in Normanton. My brother, who is a driving instructor, is aware that many of his pupils drive their own cars between lessons - regardless of his advice. My brother is no longer prepared to report such matters to the police because, in the past, they have done absolutely nothing about it.

* We all know that if one's car is broken into and a radio is stolen, the police have no time to deal with such matters. A burglary attracts a little more attention, but not much, and there is usually no chance of the burglar being caught.

* My grandfather was a policeman, as was my father, my brother, my uncle, and my cousin, and, over the years, I have had sympathy for the police. But how can I have either sympathy or respect for the police when a police officer is prepared to go out of his way to give me the hassle that I have had to go through?

* In other words, when we are told that the police are too busy to attend a car break-in (and I have first-hand knowledge of this) we now know that they are busy dealing with people like me who put everybody's life at risk by driving through town with a bulb out.

The police have very limited powers these days and as such, they are derided by many. That is not their fault; it is the fault of the politicians. However, in my view, there should be more effort on the part of police officers generally to ensure they get their priorities in order and retain the respect of at least a small section of the community. They are clearly not doing that and this should be a matter of concern for the Chief Constable of Derbyshire police. M J Pickering

More than 300 police officers are paid £10million a year to do nothing and political correctness is blamed as the number suspended on “gardening leave” rose by 20%. Jan Berry, chairman of the Police Federation said, “Some politically correct chief constables are taking the easy option and suspending officers without thoroughly examining whether it is really necessary."

Those suspended include 273 constables, paid around £30,000 each, and 33 sergeants earning an average of £34,500. Twelve are inspectors on £43,000, one a chief inspector on £47,000, and one a chief superintendent on £67,000. The ranks of the remaining three officers were not disclosed. The annual bill for all 323 is an estimated £9.8million. (Source: The Sun, Mar/06)

POLICE AMBUSH NINE police officers lined up to trap motorists on a country road. Six bikes stood alongside a van containing a computer which checks number plates. Police said they were waiting for criminals to be spotted by their car registration.

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